Father Figure
by Slamdancer
Summary: When trying to help Goten, Vegeta remembers that being a prince means more than just being the strongest fighter.


**Father Figure**

  


  


A songfic written by Slamdancer

Disclamer: The delicious Saiyajin and demi's aren't mine, I just borrowed them, without asking, for my own twisted desires.

The song belongs to George Michael

Warning: YAOI people, hot sexy men doing other hot sexy men!!!

Pairing: Vegeta x Goten

  


  


Thanx to Fireicedragon, Saiyajin Raven 69 and Yaoi Ashes for beta-ing

(Don't ask me why I have 3 beta's, it's a long story. It just happened that way)

  


"..." denotes speaking

'.....' denotes thinking

//...// denotes mindspeach

  


  


The Vault Songfic challenge: 

  


  


Vegeta's POV

  


  


Life was boring. I was lying on my back, looking at the sky. 

  


'I had him.' It was still a mystery to me how the situation had gone from perfect to fucked up in the blink of an eye.

  


'I had him in the palm of my hand,' a bitter smirk crossed my face, 'literally. Only to find that he was broken and beyond repair. Destiny is mocking me. Again!' I glared death at the clouds. I should have known his mind had shattered, Saiyajin go insane without a pack, and he had been solitary for years. This time there was nothing I could do for him.

  


"He's gone," I whispered. "Kakarot."

  


The sound of my voice made me frown, and I was thoroughly disgusted with myself, saying his name like that. 'I am the Saiyajin no ouji, I don't need some dysfunctional excuse for a Saiyajin. I will do what I have always done, train. If there's a level beyond Super Saiyajin 3, I will find it. Gotenks will be my sparring partner.'

  


With no effort at all, I located the familiar ki of my son. As I was in the mood to sneak up on him to test his skills, I didn't fly. I ran through the woods evading the trees and bushes, focused on not making any sound at all. Kakarot was forgotten as familiar routines took over.

  


Soon I saw Trunks and Goten sitting at the edge of the lake. As expected, they were not training. When I approached them, Goten looked up startled, tears were running down his face. Furiously he rubbed at his eyes, then without saying a word, he turned and flew away in a rush. 

  


What the fuck???

  


"Goten, no, come back!" Trunks yelled as he jumped up, but it was useless.

  


I looked at my son curiously. Something was going on, why had Kakarot's youngest been crying like that? 

  


"I really fucked up this time, papa. The last time I saw him cry was when Buu killed his mother." Trunks didn't look at me. He wasn't crying, yet. "He's in love with me. I told him that I'm not in love with him as gently as I could, but with his dad running off to train that weird kid... He never talked about it, but I know he felt rejected, and now I've rejected him, too. He's hurt." 

  


Worry was replaced with anger as he continued, "I just don't get it, I've known his feelings since our first fusion, and he has known mine as well. So why did he bother to tell me in the first place? FUCK!" With a scream, he ascended and flew off in the opposite direction taken by Goten.

  


"..."

  


'Shit. I guess Gotenks won't be sparring with me for a while.' With a blank expression I flew back to CC.

  


***

  


I was standing on the balcony gazing at the stars when I heard Bulma join me. For a while we just stood there, at the same place, but not together. 

  


"Every time I see you look at the stars I feel like apologizing."

  


Why couldn't she just enjoy the silence? Humans always want to 'talk' but when they do, they're not making any sense. "Baka onna, what for? You did not blow up my home."

  


"I know that, Vegeta. I just wish that the Earth and I could have been your new home."

  


My hand moved to her face of it's own accord, then came to rest on her cheek. The mother of my children, strong, brilliant, annoying, infuriating. // You almost were. // 

  


I used mindspeach even though I know she couldn't hear me, but some things can't be said aloud. Smiling sadly she took my hand and kissed it. Her breath felt soft and warm on my palm. She let go and took a step back, giving me back my freedom, like she did all those years ago. Beautiful and proud, she would have been the perfect mate, for a human.

  


"Trunks is falling apart," she said, "he barely eats, can't focus on anything. You're the only reason he's still training. This has been going on for weeks now, so I called Chichi to ask her if she could send Goten over, but it seems that he's even worse off than Trunks. He's not training anymore, hasn't eaten for days. He doesn't even leave his room." She looked worried.

  


Damn brats, I wasn't in the mood for this. Trunks would be fine, I knew my son just needed time. But Goten, being his father's son, might have gone mad. "This is unacceptable." I left Bulma standing on the balcony as I flew away. She didn't ask me where I was going, she knew I wouldn't have answered anyway.

  


It didn't take long for me to reach the little cabin, it actually felt darker without Kakarot. The stench of tears and desperation had saturated the entire clearing. It took me by surprise how completely everything had fallen apart here. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I was honor bound to try it anyway. Goten was part Saiyajin, and that meant I had certain obligations. I still remembered every time I rescued Kakarot in battle, and though at the time I wouldn't stop bitching about it, I didn't really mind. It is who I am. 

  


Quietly, I floated to Goten's window. He was sound asleep, all curled up into a little ball. I studied him, as if I were seeing him for the first time. It didn't take long for me to realize that I actually _was_ seeing him for the first time. He had always been Kakarot's brat, my son's tail, or Gohan's little brother. I knew he was as tall as my son, but right now he looked very small. For a moment all I could do was watch.

  


The reason that the royal house had the strongest and the most cunning warriors was that it had to, we were the protectors of our people. It felt good to get in touch with that part of myself again, my title had been hollow and empty for years, mere words. But no more, I was needed.

  


I flared my ki to wake him up, instantly he jumped and fell out of bed. Groggily he opened the window, naked and shameless.

  


"What the hell do you want?"

  


I had come to help, not to take his crap, narrowing my eyes was the only warning I gave before blasting him. He rolled into a crouch and a low growl seemed to come directly from his chest. My lips curled baring fangs, and time slowed down as I waited for his next move.

  


His next move was a blink.

  


"I'm sorry, Vegeta, I didn't mean to be rude. I- I wasn't awake yet." 

  


I face vaulted. Damn Sons and their morning temper.

  


"Get dressed, we're going to train." He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and closed it again. Smart boy.

  


He was almost done when Chichi came storming in. "Goten, what's going on? Why are you making so much noise?" She frowned at him for a moment, then continued angrily, "And why are you getting dressed? Are you going out?" 

  


This was taking way too long. "We're going to train, woman, stop bugging the boy." Startled she turned around. "Vegeta, I didn't know you were here." I snorted, 'obviously.' 

  


"Thank you, Vegeta. Please take good care of him, my children are all that I have left since... You've been like a father to him all those years, did you know that?" 

  


"Mom, stop. Vegeta doesn't want to hear about that." Goten's face was on fire.

  


'I was a what?' Stunned I looked at him, but he avoided my gaze and pretended to be busy with his shoes. And with his fingers trembling like that, it would probably take a while.

  


Ignoring her son's burning cheeks Chichi continued. "He looks up to you, and I'm glad you want to spend time with him. He needs a father. I just wish that Goku..." She couldn't finish her sentence, instead she looked at Goten, as their eyes met and they both seemed to shrink. Abruptly she turned around and all but fled the room, slamming the door behind her. 

  


"Can we go now, Vegeta?" Goten asked. The urgency in his voice made me curious, what was he trying to escape? At that moment I heard a faint thud, followed by soft crying. Barely above a whisper, but it was still within range of superior Saiyajin hearing. Chichi? 

  


"Please, can we please go now, Vegeta?" I only raised an eyebrow, this was unlike him. Did he really want to leave her like this, without even trying to help? I was disappointed.

  


"I only make it worse for her," he explained when he saw the look in my eyes, "I have his face." His pain was obvious, and I caught a glimpse of an endless loneliness hiding not so deep inside him. Wordlessly I nodded and as gratitude crossed his face, we left. 

  


***

  


Breathing heavily, he collapsed on the ground, we had trained all night. I saw the first sunburst at the horizon and right now, life was almost good. Slowly I floated down to Goten, looking at him. At some point during our spar he had connected with me, and he wasn't even aware of it. This was the best chance I was going to get to explore his mind. It had to be done, if he had snapped too... I shuddered. 

  


Stealthily, I entered his mind, it was unlike any I had ever seen before. I was moving through black mist and could barely see my fingers if I stretched my arm out. All sense of time or direction had disappeared. Completely lost, I flew around warily. After what seemed like two forevers and an eternity, the fog thinned and I was suddenly enveloped by night sky. Everything was still black, but no longer dull and oppressive, it was clear and warm, alive. Dozens of stars were sparkling all around me, some were just little pinpricks, others were the size of my fist, and four of them were huge, like the moon. Their combined light should have chased away the darkness, but instead it emphasized it, deepened it.

  


When I looked closer at the four stars, I saw that they were under attack by the Fog. No matter how much I wanted to help, I couldn't. Not yet. This wasn't a "blast now, ask later" kind of situation, if I damaged Goten, I would end up destroying what I was trying to save. Determined to find out what was going on, I flew up to the biggest star. The light acted like a shield and wouldn't let me come closer, but in the heart of it I saw Goten, twice. As a chibi in super Saiyajin form and as an adult in ascended super Saiyajin form, both shooting Kamekameha's at the Fog. Immediately I backed away, this was his self, only a bonded mate could enter here. 

  


The Fog burned and disappeared where it came in contact with the light, but still it kept coming. I heard a faint whisper. "You are not good enough, that's why everybody leaves you behind. Nobody could love you, even your own father couldn't stand to be near you."

  


I cursed, he was already cracking. His mind had turned on itself. Again I studied the four stars, if there was anything I could do it would have to be through them. The big one, Goten, was the main target. The other three were supporting him, even though they were under attack themselves. The Fog's actions made tactical sense, it was both analytical and cunning, a worthy opponent. My blood began to sing with the prospect of battle.

  


If the biggest star was Goten, then what was the second? I closed the distance, this star had the most success keeping the Fog away, though it was by no means undamaged. In the core I saw multiple Gohan's in his Saiyaman outfit, in a blue training gi fighting Brolly, and telling Goten bedtime stories about their dad. The bond Goten shared with his brother was still strong, and it amused me to see that the Fog could barely touch it. "You have been replaced, now that Pan is here, he barely has time for you. He's forgetting about you. When was the last time you talked to him? Can you even remember?" Not that it wasn't trying of course. This bond probably was the reason why Goten was still sane and succeeding where his father had failed, though it was obvious that he couldn't last for ever.

  


The third star was almost completely engulfed by the Fog, but I sensed a stubbornness that made it hang on by its fingernails. And when I realized that it was actually receiving light and power from the big star, my confusion was complete. Until I was close enough to look into in, at that moment it all made sense. Inside this star was Chichi, both the young mother who trained him to super Saiyajin and the older one, who couldn't look at him without starting to cry. But breeding will out, and both stars weren't prepared to give up no matter what the price would be. There was nothing here I could use, so I moved on to the last star.

  


I expected the last star to be either Goku or my son, and I really hoped it was Trunks because that might give me a way in. I was wrong. 

  


In the center of the last star I saw myself looking back at me.

  


My good fortune put a smile on my face that was both evil and triumphant, that mist didn't stand a chance. Eager I flew into the light, only to be bounced back. "What? Let me in, you godsdamned gas cloud!" The star wasn't impressed and still refused to open up for me. The Fog was closing in and I was powerless to stop it. 

  


This couldn't be happening, not when I was so close. I could hear the Fog whispering its poison. "He knows. He knows and he pities you. You're just another toy his son tossed away. You're nothing to him. A substitute for your father, not as good, never as good, but you'll have to do." I screamed my frustration to the world when I saw my star diminish.

  


Enraged I almost attacked, but sudden inspiration stopped me, if I couldn't get inside from the inside, I'd have to get inside from the outside. I left Goten's mind, and looked around. It didn't seem like a lot of time had passed, for the second time within hours I woke up Goten.

  


He growled and snarled as he sat up on his elbows, he didn't speak but everything about him screamed he wanted to kill me for rousing him from his sleep. It almost made me smile, he really hates it when someone wakes him up.

  


//You are not a surrogate!// I looked into his eyes and waited, wondering if he'd even heard me.

  


"You don't have to say that, just because you feel sorry for me. I don't need anyone's pity, not even yours." I could barely suppress a smile, he heard me.

  


"Telepathy is not speech brat. When minds touch there can be no lies." He was so astonished it amazed me, he knew that Saiyajin are telepathic. Maybe it was because the last time he used mindspeach was years ago with Piccolo, when Kakarot had made the Genki Dama to destroy Buu. 

  


"I didn't know you can't lie if you use mindspeach. So that means..." His voice trailed off. Pain, loneliness, fear and hope were plain to see in his eyes, and I knew that if I went inside his mind now, I would see my star burning brightly. He smiled at me.

  


_That's all I wanted_

_Something special, something sacred_

_In your eyes_

  


The need to kiss him overwhelmed me, to bathe in the warmth of his smile, I had been cold for so long. I've never denied myself anything before and now I couldn't even if I had wanted to. His eyes widened in shock when our lips touched. He tasted sweet, like honey, like more. With nips and kisses I teased his mouth open to play with his tongue, but I still needed more. I needed skin, he didn't stop me when I took off his clothes, on skin. I released his lips to take my spandex off.

  


_For just one moment_

_To be bold and naked_

_At your side_

  


"Vegeta?"

"Hm"

"Why?"

  


_Sometimes I think that you'll never_

_Understand me_

_Maybe this time is forever_

_Say it can be_

  


The soft light of dusk made me sleepy, and being tired and completely sated down to my very bones didn't help either. Goten was snoring happily, snuggled up against me. The shadows that had haunted his eyes were gone, for now. He was relaxed, probably for the first time in weeks.

  


_That's all you wanted_

_Something special, someone sacred_

_In your life_

_Just for one moment_

_To be warm and naked_

_At my side_

  


Lazily, I petted his hair. Though this had been unexpected even for me, it wasn't unwelcome. After I ignored his question the first time, he kept asking me why I was doing this, but it was something too big to explain, even to myself. My instincts told me this was good and that was enough for me, not everything needs to be analyzed.

  


_Sometimes I think that you'll never_

_Understand me_

_But something tells me together_

_We'd be happy_

  


As I remembered the things I had seen in his mind I couldn't suppress a shudder, and yet it hardly mattered anymore. I knew that I would protect him, even from himself. There were only seven of us left, and I refused to lose even a single one. Especially this one, alone and forgotten. I would be his king. 

  


_I will be your father figure_

_Put your tiny hand in mine_

_I will be your preacher teacher_

_Anything you have in mind_

  


My hand traveled down past his shoulder to caress his back. It was getting cold, but I didn't want to put my clothes back on. There was only one thing that would warm me, and for the third time in 24 hours I woke up Goten. This time however, I did it with a kiss. When he woke up he wasn't grumpy, just surprised. "Again?" Yeah again. It still wasn't enough. Our tongues battled for what seemed like hours. I had turned us around so that he was on his back. I realized how deep his scars ran when he looked into my eyes, I saw uncertainty, a hint of fear and a wall. He was telling me he trusted me with his body but not yet with his mind. Wordlessly I calmed him, we had time, I wasn't leaving. In fact I was, hmmm, nibbling that delicious throat of his. His lusty moans were music to my ears and I played him like an instrument. //Stop worrying brat, I am here to stay.//

_I will be your father figure_

_I have had enough of crime_

_I will be the one who loves you_

_Until the end of time_

  


***

  


"I'm going to claim Goten." 

  


_That's all I wanted_

  


I saw my son pale, flush, and go pale again. Well, that was understandable, this came as a complete surprise to him.

  


"Claim him? As what? How? No! No, you can't!" As funny as it was to watch my son lose his composure, I was already losing my patience. 

  


"I can and I will. You had your chance, brat, if you want him back you'll have to fight me for him. Is he worth your life?"

  


"It's not like that," he hissed at me. "Yes, he's worth my life, but that's because he's my best friend. You want to claim my best friend, who's a year younger than me, while you're older than his dad." 

  


_But sometimes love can be mistaken_

_For a crime_

  


And with this my patience ran out. "Go fuck yourself," I snarled, "I know how old we are. I was there when I was born and I was there when he was born." My voice was low and menacing as I continued. "You better check yourself, brat. I'm telling you, not asking your permission." I turned around, ready to leave, when his words stopped me, "Why, papa?" 

  


I was quiet for a long time, wondering if he would understand the depth of my answer. "Because he needs me." He was standing behind me but I practically "saw" him frown, he still wasn't convinced. "I need you, too," he objected. 

  


"You need me as your father, he needs me as his prince, as his king." He took his time processing this, looking at it from every angle. 

  


With a sigh I sat down, a lot had changed in the past few days. I had sent Chichi to move in with Gohan and told Goten to come live at CC. When I told Bulma I was going to claim him she fell off her chair laughing, "Saiyajin have midlife crisis's too!" she said. What the fuck did she mean by that and what the fuck is a midlife crisis? 

  


Three hours later Trunks sat down next to me. "That was fast," I teased him. He didn't let me distract him from his goal, very much like his future self. My boy was becoming a man. "I thought about it," he started, "and if you are happy, then I'm happy" 

  


A world of things remained unsaid, but I knew my son's mind well and words were unnecessary. He hugged me. It was something I had tolerated since I came back from the dead, only this time I managed something I had been trying to do for years. I hugged him back.

  


_That's all I wanted_

_Just to see my baby's_

_Blue eyes shine_

  


_***_

  


Nobody saw me walk down the hall to Goten's room, the door opened without so much as a squeak and I snuck in. I told myself I just wanted to check his mind, but that weak excuse wouldn't even fool Kakarot. Goten was sitting up in bed, looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I just smirked, there was nothing I could say, we both knew why I was here. 

  


_This time I think that my lover_

_Understands me_

  


"You're feeling lonely again." It wasn't a question but a statement and it shocked me to the core. All pretenses were gone, I felt like he could see right through me. A bit too late I realized that every time a mind was touched, fingerprints were left, and I had touched his mind a lot. Without speaking he lifted the covers so I could get in bed next to him. We spooned and he wrapped his arms around me, absentmindedly playing with my nipples. "You can trust me," he said. The irony of the situation was too obvious not to be noticed, he asked me to trust him as I wanted him to trust me. 

  


_If we have faith in each other_

_Then we can be strong_

  


I turned around to look at him, "In this case trust can only be exchanged, not given. Are you ready for that?" He couldn't look at me, but biting his lip he nodded. Brave little warrior. I smiled, but it faded fast when I realized I had to go first because he didn't know what to do. I trusted his brother somewhat, over the years I learned to trust his father, and I already trusted this Son the most. He had proven he was loyal, I just needed to know if he would be loyal to me.

  


"What about Trunks?" I asked, "Are you still in love with him?" Solemnly he shook his head, "Even though I gave him no other choice, it hurt when he rejected me, I can't completely trust him anymore." I had wondered about that, if they had a base connection, he must have known Trunks' feelings. "Why did you ask him?" I had to know. 

  


"Why do you keep fighting even when you know you can't win because your opponent is stronger?" He asked me. Quietly I looked into his eyes. Him, me, us, it was all understood. I would trust him, and by doing that, he would trust me.

  


_I will be your father figure_

_Put your tiny hand in mine_

_I will be your preacher teacher_

_Anything you have in mind_

_I will be your father figure_

_I have had enough of crime_

_I will be the one who loves you_

_Until the end of time_

  


I opened my mind to him, and showed him how to do the same thing. Clumsily he entered, my skin crawled and I had to fight the urge kick him out and put my shields back up. Instead of waiting for him to finish I decided to return the favor by entering his mind.

  


When I was inside I was too perplexed to move, his mindscape was nothing like the last time I was here. No Fog. Clear night, as far as the eye could see. A millions and one stars surrounding me, shimmering and twinkling. So many, I floated around, stunned. I would never be able to look at another star again without thinking about him. I made my way to the center, where the big Goten star was shining brighter than the sun. The other three were orbiting around him, guarding him. The light didn't block me like last time and I approached the Goten star until I could touch it.

  


Inside Little Goten saw me and smiled a smile that made the stars shine even brighter than they already did. He ran to me, only to be tackled by Adult Goten. A glass-like shield covered the star, making it look like a crystal ball. They argued. This wasn't going to be as easy as I had hoped it would be. Little Goten was pleading but Adult wouldn't have any of it. //Goten,// I called him, //come to me.// With obvious reluctance he came to the glass, dragging his feet every step of the way. I put my hand on the glass and he put his hand up on the other side, all that separated us was 5 millimeters of an unknown material that I wouldn't break even though I could. //Will you trust me?//

  


_If you are the desert_

_I'll be the sea_

_If you ever hunger_

_Hunger for me_

_Whatever you ask for_

_That's what I'll be_

  


Slowly the christal melted away. The last part was the part separating our hands, when it was gone our fingers twined. //Don't be afraid, you are safe.// I kissed him, right there on the threshold, gently and soothing. //I'm not them. I'll never leave you.//

  


_So when you remember the ones who have lied_

_Who said that they cared_

_But then laughed as you cried_

_Beautiful Darling_

_Don't think of me_

  


His hand was squeezing mine so hard it was bleeding. His face was deadly pale and he was trembling like a leaf. Without speaking, or letting go, he got out of the way, giving me room to enter. Our eyes were locked when I stepped inside. My past and future disappeared, leaving only this moment with him. A perfect moment with my mate and our new bond. //I love you.//

  


_Because all I ever wanted_

_It's in your eyes baby, baby_

_And love can't lie, no..._

_(Greet me with the eyes of a child)_

_My love is always telling me so..._

_(Heaven is a kiss and a smile)_

_Just hold on, hold on_

_I won't let you go, my baby_

  


Little Goten ran to me, jumped without slowing down and attached himself on to my torso. //It was so dark and scary here. But you made it all better. You know, you're really shiny.// Utterly confused I looked at Adult Goten for help. With a smile he pointed at the my star, still orbiting around us. Ah.

  


Feeling more complete than I did when I entered, I left his mind. Goten was lying so close to me I could feel his warm breath on my lips. "So now we're bonded for life?" he asked me. "And death," I added. There was nothing that could break a mating bond. "That's great. Then I'll meet you again in the afterlife tomorrow."

  


"You'll what? Don't be ridiculous, why are you saying that?" I was pissed off, this was not funny. "Well," he said, while fidgeting with the covers, "tomorrow I'm going to have to tell my mom about us."

  


"..."

  


_I will be your father figure_

_Put your tiny hand in mine_

_I will be your preacher teacher_

_Anything you have in mind_

_I will be your father figure_

_I have had enough of crime_

_(So I am gonna love you)_

_Until the end of time_

_I will be your father_

_I will be your preacher_

_I will be your daddy_

_I will be the one who loves you until the end of time_

  


  


  


_The End_

  


  


A/N Goten doesn't have any moves of his own like Goku (Kamehameha) or Gohan (Masenko). The Kamekameha is the closest thing he has to a trademark attack.


End file.
